Tutorial: Styles - first steps

This is a tutorial to show you how to create styles for your layouts, kits or commercial stash. I'll show you few tips to avoid a bad configuration of the styles that makes them change when you open them in a new document. Click on the images to zoom.

First, open a new full size canvas. It's important that you use a full size resolution to see the actual size of the style. If you open a lower resolution (like 72 dpi), then the styles when you use it in a full size canvas you will see a smaller resolution of the item. So, let's start!

Create a shape, a drawing or a letter. It's better if it's a item with a complex shape, to see how the styles can appear in different elements with different shapes...

It's time to set your style. Click on the FX button and choose the effect you want to add. Don't worry if you click other or you want to add some of them, because whatever option you choose, the Effects Pannel will be opened, so you can change them, select some of them, remove them...

Be carefull with this option (see image below). It's important that you uncheck the "Global Settings" option. You have to uncheck this option in all the effects (This option only appears in Drop shadow, Inner shadow and Bevel and Emboss). If you forgot to uncheck that option (it's checked by default), your styles will look different when you use them in other canvas or document.

When you think your style is perfect, click on "New style" and name the style. The name is optional, just if you want to, if not, Photoshop will name it with the default name "Style #". If you will want to use this style in an action, and you will share the action, then you should name it with something recognizable, like "Funky Action Style by Annie".

Now, to save your styles, click on the upper right coner at the styles pannel.

A menu will be opened. Click on "Preset Manager". If you click on "Save styles" all the styles that are opened in the styles pannel will be saved, and we just one to save the styles that we have just created.

Select all the styles or the style we want to save. In the image below, the styles that we want to save appear between stars. Now, click "Save set". Select the place and the name and your styles are ready to share, use and scrap!

I hope you like my first tutorial. I will make more to help you, and don't worry to request them!

3 comments:

I hope you never go away! You are so generous and giving in what you share and now you are also posting tutorials! thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am actually learning how to do things as well as having so much fun creating new items with your actions and styles.